Founder of SarahCare® Adult Day Services
to chair National Adult Day Services Association
board for 2005-2006

CANTON, Ohio, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Merle Griff, PhD, a national expert on aging and intergenerational programs, was named as chair of the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) at the group's November meeting.

"As the founder of SarahCare(R) Adult Day Services, I have really seen NADSA's work help adult day care services providers improve their services, and I'm looking forward to finding ways to expand those benefits," said Dr. Griff. "The aging population is a growing demographic, and helping to keep families together and to support caregivers offers some exciting possibilities for participants and caregivers. As chair of NADSA, I hope to build awareness of the value of adult day programs in society."

Dr. Griff has done extensive research on aging, the benefits of intergenerational programs, and the importance of adult day services in society. She has written a book on planning intergenerational programs and has done extensive work with the McKinley Centre Intergenerational Research Project in Canton, Ohio. As part of the Ohio delegation to the White House Conference on Aging December 11-14, she will help develop the strategies Congress will use to shape aging policies for the next decade and beyond.

NADSA is the leading voice of the rapidly growing adult day service industry in the United States. For 20 years, the group has been devoted to providing adult day services with the advocacy, education, technical assistance, research and communication services needed to create structured, comprehensive programs for elderly and disabled patients. Adult day centers generally operate programs during normal business hours five days a week, providing a variety of health, social, and other related support services.